What Ron realised
by kadya123
Summary: What happens to Ron while he's away from the others.  Short one shot.


**What Ron realised**

After Ron left, he didn't know what to do with himself. He already regretted it, but there was no way he could go back now. It would kill his pride. And anyway, he wouldn't be able to find it. He guessed Harry and Hermione were probably overjoyed to see the back of him. After all, he hadn't been much help to them. Even he could see that. But that thing, that horcrux weighed him down so much. He felt grumpy and depressed and ready to snap at anything which came near enough. It wasn't that bad for the others. He knew that.

He couldn't go home though. He knew how Ginny would scorn him. She had been Harry's girlfriend, and she still adored him. Anyone could see that. And what of Fred and George? They'd be sure to try to poison him with some of their hilariously evil little devices. Their teasing would be worse than ever before. He could already here it. 'Coward' they would say. 'Did little Wonnie want to go home?' 'All got too much for you, did it?'

So that left Fleur and Bill. Ron had always got along well with Bill, and Fleur, well, he didn't mind spending time with _her_. But he knew they wouldn't be delighted about this one. And nor was he. The more he thought about it, the more Ron wished he had never left the tent. Harry was his best friend. And Hermione meant more to him than he even understood. How could he leave them with a task like this? He couldn't bear the thought of them being killed by Death Eaters because he had cowered away. But that wasn't what worried him most of all. Worse than that was the thought that they really wouldn't care at all. That they wouldn't miss him. That Hermione would get together with Harry and... and... But that was no better than he deserved. What a bloody idiot he was. Damn it!

When Fleur opened the door and saw him, her first thought was that something terrible had happened to the others. But he wasn't crying or anything, just sort of standing there, looking ridiculously guilty and pleading. " I vill get Bill" she said. Ron suddenly felt nervous. He didn't know what Bill would say. What if he was furious? What if he didn't let Ron in? What if...? Bill wasn't furious. He looked at his little brother and beckoned him inside. Once the door was shut, Bill raised one eyebrow and Ron told him everything. How they had got the locket, but had no way of destroying it. How he had splinched when disapparating from the now Death Eater infested house of Black. (Here Bill looked down at Ron's arm and quietly shook his head, rolling his eyes slightly.) How they had been camping with that wretched locket round their necks. How the locket had made Ron feel so grumpy and unhappy. How finally it had got too much and Ron had left. How he had immediately regretted this decision. How he couldn't get back but he couldn't face what the others would say and so had come here. "And I'm starving and I'm a coward and I don't know what to do Bill, unless you'll have me." He finished lamely. "I'll have you Ron, but you won't exactly be a guest of honour here. I guess I'm disappointed in what you did. Harry saved your life last year, and he saved dad two years ago and Ginny way back in your second year." "And 'e saved my little sister Gabriella" Fleur interrupted. Bill nodded and continued; "He's been a pretty good friend to you and to all of our family, Ron. You owed him your help. However bad it was." Ron had known this was coming, but it was still hard to hear it. He swore to himself that if he had any opportunity to go back to his two best friends, he would. No matter what. "Oh" said Bill "and you can sleep in the spare room up the stairs and to the left."

The days at the cottage were not much fun for Ron. The whole time he worried about Harry and Hermione. Apart from worrying there was nothing for him to do. Fleur was a good cook ("Zat is because ve French are far better cooks than you English. My 'ole family are proud of our food.") and Ron was glad of something that wasn't a mushroom, a rotten berry, or a piece of badly cooked fish. But he couldn't eat the whole time. Bill treated him with respect, but he wasn't as warm and friendly as usual and Ron felt he'd let him down. The other two were often out working or visiting family, or shopping, but Ron stayed inside because no one but the three of them knew he was there, and he was too embarrassed to face up to people. Often he heard news from Bill about other order members (Tonks and the baby were doing well, and Lupin was still with her.) and the family. He was relieved to hear they were doing well but it just made him worry all the more about his friends. He wondered if they had found a way to destroy the locket, or if they had had any ideas about where to find the others. After a few weeks there, Ron remembered his putter outer. He decided to mess about with it, putting the lights on and off and on again, just for something to do. Then the blue light came and Ron knew it would show him back to the others, and he found that was what he wanted more than anything; to be back.

The light showed Ron everything. He knew he would only ever tell anyone it showed him the way back, but really it seemed to explain Ron's thoughts to him. Even the strangest thought that Ron could never make any sense of, the little light could make seem clear. It made him understand a lot of things about himself. He realised that he was loyal, a true friend. He knew this because the second he left that tent, he could only think about his friends. He felt oddly honoured that Dumbledore seemed to know that he would always want to come back. Secondly, and most shocking to Ron, he finally understood that what he felt for Hermione was more than a friendly crush. He found out he was in love. And thirdly, he found out the reason that he sometimes felt so grumpy. He found at that his whole life he had always felt second best.

In terms of where to go, when Ron reached the little hill the light had taken him to he thought he could wait there until either Hermione or Harry came out. He was very excited, which may have been the reason why he didn't think that Harry and Hermione might not come out and make their presence obvious. He waited and waited but when after days they hadn't come he started to doubt the light. What if it had been a trick? Maybe it had been a tiny bit wrong? No, he finally told himself. It was a gift from Dumbledore. Dumbledore always knows. So he decided it was time to call on the light again. When it sunk inside him he felt like he must've been an idiot to not trust it. It was so warm and guiding, a little essence of the headmaster himself. This thought made Ron a little sad. Dumbledore was the best headmaster Hogwarts had ever had. And Ron had to prove himself.

When Ron reached the next place the light took him to, he felt cold and nervous. He didn't know if it would work out. But he had only just settled down when a beautiful sight met his eyes. Between the dark of the trees was a gleaming silver doe. It had huge eyes and lovely dainty hooves. Its shape looked comforting, but something about it seemed terribly sad to Ron. Sad and weak and misunderstood. Ron realised that this must be a patronus. He immediately thought of Harry. Was this his? He tried to remember but could not. Still, he assumed it was Harry's. The doe began pawing the ground. Ron knew he should follow her.

The doe took him deeper and deeper into the other side of the woods. Around Ron were gorgeous frosty trees, and above, the sky was a deep dark blue. Ron was taking all of this in when a dreadful sight met his eyes. Someone had been mad enough to take all their clothes off and dive into what seemed to be a deep pool of water. Ron moved closer and saw, at the bottom of the pool, a gleaming silver sword with a ruby hilt. The sword of Godric Gryffindor. Which meant – Ron felt a wave of terror and shock run through him at the thought – the fool in the water, who now seemed to be drowning, must be Harry. Ron looked around for the doe, but she had gone.

Ron knew why Harry was drowning. He must have dived without taking off the locket! Without thinking, he stripped off and jumped into the pool after his best friend. The water was icy cold. He felt as though a million little knives were digging into his skin. The sudden cold took his breath away. He would never be ready. And there wasn't any time. So Ron put his head under water and dived down. It was a very long way. After what felt to Ron like a thousand slow minutes, he reached the bottom, grabbed the sword, and kicked up. As he passed harry he grabbed under his arm and pulled.

Ron made it out of the water. Shivering violently, he tugged the locket off Harry's neck, lay it down on Harry's clothes with the sword, and patted Harry's back. Harry coughed, and as he began to take in what was going on, Ron understood what he had just done. He had saved Harry for once. It was finally that way round. "And I owe you that much mate." he grinned. "Ron!" Harry choked. "What?" "Yeah." Said Ron. "I decided to come back."

**I hope everyone likes it! R&R!**


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